


Mixed Signals

by shyfoxes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, M/M, Pining, band au, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 13:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6909709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyfoxes/pseuds/shyfoxes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently Oikawa & Iwaizumi have been dating for years. Their bandmates know, their fans know, half the population on Earth knows, but them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mixed Signals

The scream of fans filled Oikawa with excitement as he closed his hands around the mic and crooned into it. This was a bigger venue than they'd had before, and the excitement was electric. Oikawa could feel their love for them pumping hot through his veins. He sang through the chorus like he'd done hundreds of times before, and he'd do a hundred times more as Hanamaki's drumming increased in crescendo and Mattsun and Iwaizumi joined in. The crowd momentarily hushed, waiting for the rising note as Oikawa's voice rose, and rose, holding as his voice filled the entire stadium. Instinctively he looked over towards Iwaizumi, eyes locking onto his as he sang loud and strong. The surge from earlier filled Oikawa up when Iwaizumi let a grin pass over his face. The world melted away until there was only Iwaizumi before him. The crowd roared as the moments ticked by and Oikawa's voice kept steady, Iwaizumi's guitar erupting at his side.

Oikawa took a breath, music petering off. Sweat dripped into his eyes, hair soaked, as he fan wands and bodies moved in sink, cheering for them.

“Seijou! Seijou! Seijou!” They cried.

Oikawa smoothed back his bangs, holding it there with his trademark teasing grin. The frantic cry of girls burst through as he laughed. He half turned, motioning to his fellow band members as they  stepped forward to join him. He bumped fists with Matsukawa, and narrowly dodged a slap to the back from Hanamaki. Only when Iwaizumi came up next to him did Oikawa sling an arm over his friend and pulled him flush against his side.

Oikawa dislodged the mic from the stand, still barely catching his breath. He felt Iwaizumi's arm come to hang loosely around his waist, faintly feeling his grin on his shoulder. Oikawa burned.

“Everyone,” Oikawa started. “Everyone! We want to thank you for coming to see us tonight! We couldn't ask for better fans!”

The crowd cheered, whistles sounding off as Hanamaki and Matsukawa waved towards the crowd. A chorus of “Go, go Seijou! Go, go Seijou!” ran through the stadium. Iwaizumi's other arm raised up in a pump; the crowd screamed harder. Oikawa pressed the side of his head to Iwaizumi's.

“Make sure to catch my sweet voice next concert, too!” Oikawa said; Iwaizumi roughly grabbed a bit of skin near his hip and twisted it. “Ow, ow, ow, Iwa-chan! Relax! I was joking!”

The crowd laughed, and next to them Matsukawa and Hanamaki snickered. They all bowed before heading to the back and off stage. The dull roar of the crowd was still ringing in Oikawa's ear as he collapsed in a chair near the buffet table. The spot right above his hip was still warm from where Iwaizumi's hand had laid.

A plate pushed itself into his peripheral as Iwaizumi loomed over him, resting frown on his face. His looked just as worn out as Oikawa felt, hair disheveled and body sweaty. Behind him Matsukawa and Hanamaki were fighting over the last of the finger sandwiches.

“Make sure you eat, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi said. “Despite what I told you, you barely ate before this concert.”

“Oh, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa started, taking hold of the plate. “Are you my mom, now?”

Iwaizumi roughly yanked the plate back, foot pushing at Oikawa's stomach when he tried to rise out of the chair and reach back for it. He evaded Oikawa's grabby hands as the other man whined pitifully.

“I was only joking, Iwa-chan! You know I'm starving!” Oikawa cried.

“You should have thought of that before, shouldn't you?” Iwaizumi said.

He clicked his tongue but put the plate back in Oikawa's hands nonetheless. He drew up his own chair, replacing the plate there into his own lap as he set to eating. Oikawa slumped heavily in the chair and began picking at his food.

“Be a little easier on yourself,” Iwaizumi muttered. “Despite what your fans think, you're still human, too. Take care of your voice, too. Don't push so hard.”

Oikawa paused mid-chew, regarding Iwaizumi as he stared head-on at him. His hands felt sweatier than they had gripping that mic all of a sudden. He nearly choked swallowing his shrimp, mouth acting faster than his brain.

“Iwa-chan is such a mom friend,” Oikawa blurted.

Iwaizumi kicked him in the shin, ignoring his pained holler.

-

Oikawa would be lying if he said he had serious doubts that Seijou would have ever moved up from Makki's parents garage.

It had started out for fun mid-way through the first year of high school, when Oikawa and Iwaizumi had found Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Issei bumming in one of the old classrooms after class one day. They'd been searching for a quiet room to practice themselves when they'd hear the smooth strumming of Mattsun's base. They'd followed it down one of the first year hallways to a corner classroom. Mattsun was stretched out at one desk, with the base in his lap, as Makki was leaning his legs across the desk tops and playing a beat against another desk with his drum sticks. They hadn't noticed when Oikawa and Iwaizumi had come in.

Oikawa had stood at the doorway entranced with their playing. He could barely control himself before he was barreling across the classroom and dropping down into a chair with his own guitar, Iwaizumi not far behind with a scold and his own guitar ready.

They joined in, fumbling a bit with the rhythm. The words flew straight into Oikawa's head before he had even thought about it. It wasn't the best song back then, just random things he'd done during the school day, and stupid inside jokes with Iwaizumi that were making Makki snicker.

It went on and on until one of the club members from the book club slammed the door open and complained for them to shut up. The music cut off, and the four of them looked at each other before they all grinned, and played even harder.

One review on the front page of Seijou's official website, from that same girl from the book club, read: “I'm glad they improved. They really sucked in high school”.

Iwaizumi had given Oikawa the most disapproving look he could muster when he'd seen it.

-

“So, can we expect another pine-y love song for next album too, Captain?” Makki said, dropping into a chair next to Oikawa.

Oikawa scowled into his noodles, turning his head away with a hmph as Makki laid a cheek into his hand and smirked at the other man.

“Don't get me wrong, they're really good. You have the best ideas for my solos in them, too. But, I'm pretty sure everyone in a 10 mile radius except Iwaizumi is picking up on your feelings,” Makki said.

“It's not my fault Iwa-chan is so dense,” Oikawa muttered.

“I know, you've practically been taking him on a honeymoon every time you two make eye contact on stage,” Makki said, popping a piece of gum into his mouth. “Even your fans know.”

Oikawa gaped; “They don't!”

Makki pulled out his phone to show Oikawa the search results on Google for him and Iwaizumi. The first result being “Are Iwaizumi and Oikawa of Seijou dating?”

Oikawa wanted to drown himself in his noodles. Makki clicked the phone back to home screen, smug expression still on his as Oikawa avoided meeting his eyes.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Oikawa said. “There are people out there that can see romance between a baseball and a football if you gave them the inch.”

Makki hummed. “That’s just it, isn’t it? There’s enough between you and Hajime to circle the world three times over. You should just say something.”

Oikawa scoffed, loudly slurping down the last of his noodles. He delighted when a bit of the soup splashed Makki in the face to the other’s dissatisfaction.  

“What’re you afraid of?” Hanamaki asked.

“You already know,” Oikawa answered bluntly. “The secret to destroying a harmony is a bad note out of place.”

“Since when did your puns get so hoity-toity?” Makki joked. “Well, me and Matsukawa think you’re being stupid. Figure it out, Oikawa. Or you’ll be the only thing putting our harmony out of whack.”

“Please! My voice is a godsend created by angels,” Oikawa said, sounding serious. Makki knew he was joking anyway. He didn’t need to be Iwaizumi to know it.

“Be that way then,” Makki said, and left Oikawa to finish what was left of his meal.

Oikawa frowned into his bare container, more empty and wanting than he had been before Makki had come to interrupt his snack. He checked the loose change in his pockets and went to find Iwaizumi to get a burger around the corner with him.

-

Oikawa also would be lying if he said he didn't feel anything on the romantic front for his childhood friend. He may not have wanted to admit it, but it didn’t negate it.

Even from way back then he had always found himself gravitating towards Iwaizumi. He'd lived down the street from him, and had been the one to barge into Oikawa's yard one day while he was tossing a volleyball up and trying to hit it like on TV, and asked if he wanted to play. The rest had been history. They had stuck close together through thick and thin, and attended middle and high school together. If there was one thing Oikawa never wanted to live without it, it would be Iwaizumi. Singing and fame be damned.

His eyes had always been on Iwaizumi, and truth be told the same could probably be said for his friend. He was just unsure what way Iwaizumi was looking at him.

-

“That's right, Iwaizumi-san,” the photographer called. “Just bring that arm around Oikawa-san's waist and pull him close – yes! Good!”

Oikawa's heart was in his chest. Iwaizumi tilted his head at the photographer’s request, spiky hair tickling Oikawa’s chin and cheeks as he nearly laid his head against Oikawa’s chest. The firm weight of his hand on Oikawa’s hip was too intimate for it to be accidental.

When had even doing photoshoots come so close to kicking Oikawa’s ass? Being in Iwaizumi’s personal space was one thing. He was in it often, and only if he thought about it too hard did he become embarrassed with the after thoughts of how close their hands were or how potentially intimate a stray action could be. But this was another thing. Iwaizumi in a dark dress jacket and slacks, looking so casually dangerously business like was not good for Oikawa’s heart. The jacket only hung loosely over his shoulder, almost like a cape. The white button up underneath, tight across his chest, and the sleeves properly rolled up over the bulge of his bicep was what was making Oikawa mad.

“Don’t move, doooon’t move,” The photographer called.

The flash went off, effectively blinding Oikawa. He instinctively brought his fingers up to grab the back of Iwaizumi’s dress jacket where the photographer couldn’t see. He only faintly registered the voices of the photographer and his crew as Iwaizumi imperceptibly shifted against him. Iwaizumi’s unsmiling, but not unpleasant expression didn’t shift as he huffed through his nose. He squeezed Oikawa’s waist a little, getting his attention.

“You okay?” He murmured, lips barely moving. “I don’t know about you but I’m dying here. At least they aren’t making me smile anymore.”

Oikawa barely held back a reply as another round of flashes came at them. Somewhere the photographer was yelling at them that they were doing good. Oikawa broke pose to look down at his friend, a smile situating on his face before he could stop it. Iwaizumi glanced at him, a tilt at the corner of his lips rising too.

“Holy shit, I could use a cheeseburger,” Oikawa whispered. He tried not to blink at the flashes.

“You’re buying then,” Iwaizumi said, a challenging grin rising on his face.

“That’s mean!” Oikawa automatically said, smile also rising.

By now they had more than adjusted the pose, with Oikawa’s hand lazily invading the pocket of Iwaizumi’s slacks. Iwaizumi hand hooked his thumb into the belt loop of Oikawa’s designer jeans. Their heads were tilted towards each other, a not-so-secret passing between them by the looks of it. Iwaizumi’s solid weight leaned against him a little more, and Oikawa dug a leg down to support the added weight, but made no move to push him away. He never would.

“Wonderful! Brilliant!” The photographer called. “Better than I could have imagined.”

The picture made front page on all Google searches for them there after.

-

Oikawa was never sure which happenedfirst when he sings. Was it Iwaizumi’s guitar or his voice that rose higher and higher, chasing each other down until Oikawa reached a peak and Iwaizumi’s guitar yelled praises in the distance.

Even as he’s coming back down again, it’s Iwaizumi that seems to cradle him down again, falling with him, until he trails off and out.

It doesn’t really matter, because neither of them take their eyes off each other when they play. There’s nothing that makes Oikawa feel more invincible than that. Iwaizumi wipes the sweat from his brow with the Seijou’s crown logo’d sweatband on his wrist, grinning triumphantly like Oikawa.

It is the same for him. Oikawa has always known, anyway.

-

“I think I figured it out, Makki,” Mattsun said, way too obvious and loud from where they were sitting across from Oikawa.

“And what’s that, dear Mattsun?”Makki inquired. He rested his chin to his fist, facing Mattsun but looking dead-on and mischievous at Oikawa.

“Iwaizumi and Oikawa are actually dating but don’t know it,” Mattsun said. “Think about it.”

“You two - “ Oikawa started.

“No, no, I think you have a point!” Makki interrupted. “They walk everywhere together, and really close, too.”

“They go out to eat alone with one another,” Mattsun added. “Don’t even bring back any dog bags for anyone else, might I add.”

“He’s always fixing Oikawa’s hair.”

“Oikawa’s always straightening his clothes out for him. Remember how he used to adjust his tie in high school?”

“Iwa-chan gets rumpled easily and you know it! He wouldn’t even roll up his sleeves properly, just rammed them up his arm.”

“I’m surprised his arms even fit in his sleeves,” Makki muttered. “What do you think he bench presses now, Mattsun?”

“Hard to say, he’s short but he’s solid. He could probably bench press Oikawa.”

Makki’s eyes lit up as Oikawa’s stomach dropped. “Let’s find out - Iwaizumi!”

Iwaizumi looked up from where he was sitting a table away, having just finished talking to his mother. A lingering look of boyishness was still on his face. He pulled his phone from his ear to listen to them, eyebrow cocked.

“Mattsun bet me that you can’t bench press Oikawa,” Makki called.

“Liar, I said he could. It’s you that doesn’t believe it,” Mattsun shot back.

Makki punched him in his arm. “Whatever! So, can you do it or not, Iwaizumi? Show us those lethal weapons you got wrapped away over there.”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, coming back to them to take his place next to Oikawa. Oikawa bit into his lower lip as Iwaizumi fixed their friends with a look.

“Who says I want to lift Shittykawa up at all? He walks just fine,” Iwaizumi said.

“Not even a little curious? Come ooon, Iwaizumi,” Makki tried. Mattsun egged him on from the side.

“No way,” Iwaizumi firmly said.

“That sounds like you’re scared, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa blurted, mouth outrunning brain. “Don’t think you can? I mean, aside from height, I even weigh a bit more than you. Can you go figure that?”

Iwaizumi’s head snapped to him, mouth bared in a challenging grimace. In front of them, Mattsun and Makki grinned knowingly. Oikawa was hauled out of his seat by his upper arm, both of their chairs screeching as Iwaizumi pinned him still with a piercing look.

“Come on then, let’s go to the gym room,” Iwaizumi said.

“Oh shit, you’re really gonna do it,” Makki said.

“You know he never backs down from a challenge, though,” Mattsun muttered. “Don’t you remember the cultural challenge? He defeated everyone, even Kyoutani.”

“I remember him yelling ‘weak!’ every time someone lost to him,” Makki snickered.

Mattsun whipped out his phone and opened his camera as they walked. “There’s no way I’m missing getting this down. Either he’s gonna wow us or there’s gonna be footage we can laugh at for the next few months.”

Iwaizumi didn’t let go of Oikawa’s arm as the four them made it through the little house their manage had secured them, towards the home gym. Iwaizumi only let go to lay back on the bench, hands temporarily resting on his stomach as he regarded Oikawa before bringing them up, bent at the elbow and hovering outside the bench. He beckoned for Oikawa to assume position.

Oikawa laid his thigh in the closest hand, and tried to not panic at the wobble in Iwaizumi’s arm when his shoulder hit the other. Iwaizumi grunted, arms shaking as he tried to get Oikawa into a flat, plank position. He dipped him a few times and was met with a squeak but didn’t otherwise drop him. When he was finally able to get him comfortable and situated, Iwaizumi exhaled.

“You two ready?” He called, unable to see them over Oikawa’s torso.

“Ready when you are, Ace,” Mattsun answered.

Oikawa yelped when he began to ascend, biting back a brief moment of panic as Iwaizumi extended his arms fully out. He descended again before being brought back up, slow and steady.  He came back down, suspended as Iwaizumi kept his elbows bent. Mattsun whistled.

“Holy shit,” Makki cried. “What the hell are you anyway?”

Iwaizumi’s hand slipped from Oikawa’s back to grip his shoulder. The other hand ran along the back of his knees. He let  Oikawa down easy, almost cradling him against him as he slowly sat up. Oikawa hooked an arm around his shoulders.

“Who was scared, huh, Oikawa?” Iwaizumi said.

“Only at the thought of you breaking your wrist and never being able to play again,” Oikawa said simply, a joke to his tone. “I’ve grown so used to you. Who else will make my wonderful voice sound so good with accompaniments?”

Iwaizumi fist bumped his shoulder gently before tapping him on the back to get off so he could, too.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

-

“We have a good thing. Gigs, fans, traveling,” Iwaizumi said, from where he was lying parallel to Oikawa on the floor. A Godzilla movie marathon was the first thing on their list for the day. “I’m happy you and I half formed this band. I couldn’t see myself anywhere but here with you. “

Oikawa didn’t have a reply for that, mouth ajar. Iwaizumi looked over his shoulder, a secretive but kind half grin on his face. “Thanks, Shittykawa.”

Oikawa threw a pillow at him, falling off the couch to try and smother Iwaizumi’s laugh away.  “You ruined the mood, Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi’s arms came up blindly around the pillow to try and hold Oikawa into place. Even as he tried to smother the other boy with the pillow, it did little to drown out his laughing or Oikawa’s steady heartbeat in his ears.

-

Oikawa secretly congratulated himself. He’d been a bit of a slump since their last tour. His bandmates had assured him that they needn’t get a new album out so soon, but Oikawa had always been someone hard on himself since day one. Soon after Iwaizumi had turned in after their movie marathon, Oikawa had tirelessly settled himself at his desk and deliriously wrote out lyric after lyric. The words kept jumbling around in his head, and he’d be damned if he ever let them get away.

He had tapped his fingers as he furiously wrote, erased, rewrote, scratched out and wrote again, trying to find a flow for his words.

“Thanks to you, it’s thank to you,” Oikawa had muttered under his breath. “...I want to only be with you…”

He had gritted his teeth, pissed but damned if he ever bothered to abandon that line and set about to working around it into near perfection. Iwaizumi had found him the next morning covered in balled up papers on the floor, and his notebook empty save for the bits of paper hanging from its wired rings. He had fished out the finished product from inside his shirt collar and handed it to Iwaizumi.

“What do you think, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa had hoarsely said. “A winner right?”

“Talk to me about it after you’ve actually slept, Tooru,” Iwaizumi had grumbled. He had helped his friend up and deposited him in the bed. He brushed away a bit of his bangs tenderly and left when Oikawa had properly dozed off.

Oikawa had woken up god only knows how many hours later, knocking around in the kitchen for whatever Matsukawa had actually left them all to eat before collapsing into the sofa with a satisfied groan. He ate slowly, figuring Matsukawa and Hanamaki were out catching that new movie they had been going on about. Iwaizumi had probably gone to run around the block for a bit. Oikawa ended up dozing again a little after, waking only to catch a broadcasting of their latest concert on the tv. The red pants had been a good choice after all, now that he was looking. The cushion he was sitting on dipped under Iwaizumi’s weight as he dropped down next to him.

“I finally read it over,” Iwaizumi said. “It’s good. I think I can already guess what beat it’s going to have.”

“Figures you would,” Oikawa said, all unmatched pride. “I can’t even wipe my nose without you knowing.”

“That’s because you leave tissues everywhere,” Iwaizumi grumbled. “Doesn’t matter. It’s a good song.”

“Yeah?” Oikawa prompted. He never got enough of Iwaizumi’s praises, especially if it meant it would annoy the other boy a little bit to do it. It was just their way. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and continued on.

Iwaizumi rested his hand over Oikawa’s on the couch in the space between them. He squeezed Oikawa’s hand.

“It is good. You always catch me for a loop with every song,” Iwaizumi admitted. “It’s not wonder that we’ve been able to get so far.”

“Are you thanking me, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa sing-songed.

“You got your thank you last night. You don’t get another one for another month Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi said. “Now who’s ruining the mood?”

Oikawa waved his other hand, trying to brush off his comment. Iwaizumi caught that hand too. His expression softened, holding both of Oikawa’s hands gently between his own.

“I mean it. You’re better than good,” Iwaizumi said. “You really know how to bring out everything in us.”

Oikawa’s breath hitched, eyes locked with Iwaizumi’s as his throat got dry and his tongue heavy. He twisted his mouth, watching Iwaizumi’s eyebrows furrow. He ducked his head a bit.

“I wrote it about you. It’s me that thankful. I wouldn’t have gotten my head out of my ass. I would have kept thinking I wasn’t as good as those geniuses back in high school. It’s you that brings everything out in me, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi shrugged. His eyes slid closed as he grinned a little challengingly. His hands moved to cup one of Oikawa’s shoulders and the back of his head.

“Remind me to punch Hanamaki and Matsukawa later, got it?”

“What? Why’s tha -”

It took barely any pulling at all before Oikawa was pulled down and forward, swallowing a breathy and sincere thank you from between Iwaizumi’s lips.

Not enough time elapsed for Oikawa before they were pulling away. Iwaizumi’s cheeks were tinted red, and a confused frown was on his face.

“We’ve literally been dating this whole time, haven’t we” Iwaizumi  muttered. It wasn’t a question.

Oikawa pulled him swiftly back towards him again, “Who the hell cares”, and kissed away any further complaints.

-

Their latest single, “Thanks to You”  reached the top of the charts in almost nothing flat. It was one of their more upbeat songs, weaved with optimism and gratitude and marketed supposedly to the support of their fans. It was catchy, with nearly a million 30 second vines of people doing everyday things while just singing the chorus, before diving head first into Iwaizumi’s guitar, and Hanamaki’s beats as Matsukawa kept them properly afloat. Their song probably came on at least every four songs on nearly every radio station.

Nestled in the curve of Iwaizumi’s arm where they tried to huddle in Oikawa’s tiny twin bed, he interlocked their fingers and knew Iwaizumi could feel his gratitude without any need for words.

**Author's Note:**

> can you believe this all started b/c tumblruser fujoshi-trash's phone mispelled 'gif' as 'gig' and it devolved from Seijou making it as a boy band to this? Cuz that's what happened.
> 
> The tiny bit of angst literally came out of nowhere when I wrote it. I honestly wanted stupid and dorky. But I’m a bit of a sucker for “seemingly one-sided feelings” esp when it comes to childhood friends turned lovers. So - I’m a bit sorry for that. 
> 
> Also, I think Iwachan is a bit of a mama’s boy. He personally takes time to call his mama and assure her that he is doing fine, and that he is indeed watching out for Tooru.  
> Anything to do with writing about them playing music/singing, I pulled outta my ass. So sorry for all that gigantic messss. I…...honestly have no idea if Iwachan could actually bench press Oikawa. Princess carry? Totally! Bench press? uhmmmm


End file.
